WINDSOR, Ontario — A beloved but crumbling downtown watering hole undergoing a multimillion-dollar makeover will soon be occupied by employees of Quicken Loans — the mortgage-based business that boosted Detroit's Dan Gilbert to being one of the world’s richest entrepreneurs.

Quicken will set up inside the former Fish Market and Loop building at the intersection of Chatham and Ferry streets.

It is the first step into Windsor for Gilbert, who of late has touted Windsor’s advantages after leading a high-profile two-city bid to woo Amazon to open a new headquarters here.

There are expected to be up to 50 employees — predominantly software and engineer gurus — who will initially occupy 9,000 square feet inside the two-story building. Quicken Loans indicated it may eventually grow the space in Windsor to include up to 150 employees.

The move is designed to better attract top talent from Windsor, Toronto and tech centers in Waterloo in support of the mortgage company’s growing technology team, the company said.

Quicken said it has no plans to open a mortgage business in Canada. The office space and employees located in Windsor are solely to support the company’s existing operations and avoid crossing the border each day.

It's the second Canadian foray for a Quicken-related company. In 2016, Rocket Homes, a subsidiary of the same holding company as Quicken Loans (Rock Holdings Inc.), purchased Toronto-based OpenHouse Realty — a company specializing in the development of proprietary home and real estate agent search technology.

Gilbert said this summer he learned a lot about the advantages of Windsor through the two-city bid to attract Amazon.

He expressed concern at the time that many highly qualified tech specialists with international backgrounds may have difficulty entering the U.S. given tighter border restrictions and that was a primary advantage to being located in Windsor.

It is anticipated Quicken Loans will open in Windsor next spring following completion of building renovations and conversion into office space.

The former Fish Market and Loop building — which first opened in 1912 as an auto showroom and garage — has undergone extensive renovation since purchased jointly for $1.6 million nearly a year ago by local developers Dino and Anthony Maggio, under their Mid South Land Developments Company, and owners of the Cypher Systems Group.

Early plans by the new owners tentatively called for a mix of high-end lofts on the second floor, a number of apartments on the first and second floor targeted for downtown university and college students, with commercial or office space on the main floor and a possible food establishment in the basement where the popular pub known as the Coach and Horses was located.

But the investment group’s primary focus initially was to restore the shuttered building to its original appearance.

The former blue and white facade was sandblasted away, windows fully replaced, while the inside completely stripped and redone to create a wide-open urban-style interior with exposed brick and hardwoods floors.

Gilbert’s real estate arm Bedrock launched a search in recent months for a suitable property in Windsor which eventually led to the former Fish Market property. The company will lease the entire structure.

The city and Mayor Drew Dilkens were in on discussions, but the only incentive being provided to Quicken is 75 parking spaces, the mayor said.

The mayor noted how a major part of the Amazon bid was to have employees on both sides of the border so there were no immigration worries.

“This shows you can take advantage of having talent in both Canada and the U.S. and get the best of both worlds,” Dilkens said. “This is a direct play from the Amazon bid. The company we worked with has said ‘we should do that.’ It’s exciting to see this announcement.”